Dodgers' first full-squad workout scheduled for Feb. 28

Meanwhile, spring actually calls …

Ready or not, the Dodgers’ 2012 spring training starts in just seven weeks.

The schedule released by Major League Baseball Wednesday shows the Dodgers’ pitchers and catchers reporting Feb. 22.

The Dodgers’ first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 28. The Dodgers will be the last National League team to have its first full workout. The American League's White Sox, who share the Camelback Ranch site with the Dodgers, report the same day.

The Dodgers’ first spring training game is against the White Sox at Camelback on March 5. The Dodgers currently have only three split-squad games scheduled this spring.

The Dodgers’ regular-season opener is April 5 in San Diego against the Padres. Their home opener is at 1:10 p.m. April 10 against the Pirates.

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— Steve Dilbeck

Photo: The Camelback Ranch scoreboard in 2009. Credit: Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune

Frank McCourt attorney says Bryan Stow shares blame for attack

Frank McCourt has had more public-relations specialists over the years than Derek Jeter has had hot girlfriends. If politicians had image-makers like McCourt's, there would be no one left to run for public office. Wait ...

Even now, McCourt has so many people speaking for him that I'm never sure which one to call for his "no comment."

To be fair, the Bryan Stow beating case is difficult, treacherous ground to navigate. McCourt needs to appear sympathetic without sounding guilty of any wrongdoing.

Here's my basic PR rule for McCourt: If a lawyer is speaking for you, you're in trouble. You're not out in front of the message. You're taking a chance that someone else will craft it as you desire, and history indicates the odds are not favorable.

Now McCourt has countersued in the Stow case, filing a civil complaint last week against two men -- Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez -- who have been charged in connection with the attack. McCourt claims they should be held liable for the beating, not himself and the Dodgers.

Stow's family has sued McCourt and the Dodgers over a beating that took place in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on opening day. But McCourt is suing two suspects who have not been found guilty of anything?

'Comedy for a Cause' raises more than $10,000 for Bryan Stow

Here’s something of an odd combo that worked: fans of the Phillies, Giants and Dodgers coming together to do some good.

A comedy fundraiser was held at the Shack restaurant in Santa Monica to benefit Bryan Stow, the paramedic severely beaten on opening day at Dodger Stadium. Organizers said they raised more than $10,000 for Stow’s medical expenses.

Billed as "Comedy for a Cause," the fundraiser featured comedians Alonzo Bodden, Randy Grady, Erin Foley and Dwayne Perkins. The Stow family also attended.

The fundraiser was held at Patrick Good’s Shack, a Westside home for Philadelphia fans, on Aug. 9 when the Phillies were in Los Angeles playing the Dodgers.

Said Stow’s mother, Ann, in a statement: "We cannot believe that people we didn't even know at the time would get together to do this for Bryan. This is truly the utmost example of the demonstration of goodwill and charity that can happen when fans of teams from all walks of life come together to do something positive."

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Photo: Bryan Stow and his children. Credit: Beck Diefenbach / Reuters

Dodgers make it a winning opener for Don Mattingly, down Giants 2-1 as Clayton Kershaw shines

If the Dodgers are going to surprise their doubters this year, it figures it has to be with pitching. No one is expecting them to be an offensive juggernaut.

For openers, that's pretty much the way it went down.

The Dodgers got a masterful opening night start by Clayton Kershaw, one shut-out inning by Hong-Chih Kuo, and one shaky ninth by Jonathan Broxton to edge the Giants, 2-1, in their 2011 season opener Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw threw seven shutout innings, struck out out nine and gave up only four hits and one walk. He needed to be that good, because he was nearly matched by two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

Lincecum allowed only one unearned run in his seven innings.

The Dodgers scored their first run on a pair of San Francisco errors in the sixth, and then added one more on a James Loney double off reliever Santiago Casilla in the eighth.

Broxton came on in the ninth, and with one out, Pat Burrrell made plenty of Dodger fans nervous, driving a solo home run to left.

Broxton then retired Miguel Tejada on a tapper and rookie Brandon Belt on a soft liner to Juan Uribe at third base to end the game.

The victory made a winner out of Don Mattingly in is debut as a manager.

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-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp is congratulated by teammates after scoring the first run of the game in the sixth inning Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Dodgers 2, Giants 0, end of eight

The impressive, season-opening pitching duel between Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum ended after seven innings.

Hong-Chih Kuo relieved Kershaw to open the eighth. Kershaw's final line: seven innings, no runs, four hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, 65 for strikes.

With Lincecum due to lead off the eighth, the Giants sent up Mark DeRosa to pinch hit. Lincecum's final line: seven innings, one unearned run, five hits, three walks (one intentional) and five strikeouts. He threw 103 pitches, 58 for strikes.

Kuo immediately got into trouble by walking DeRosa. Nate Schierholtz pinch ran. Kuo got Andres Torres on a fly to right for the first out after a 12-pitch at-bat. Kuo then struck out Freddy Sanchez and induced Aubrey Huff to fly out to center.

Santiago Castilla took over for Linecum to start the bottom of the eighth. Matt Kemp led off with his third walk of the game -- that's a career high -- and stole second on Castilla's first pitch to James Loney. That Davey Lopes base-running instruction makes an immediate impact!

Loney then ended his frustrating night by pulling a double off the right-field fence to score Kemp. Castilla followed by striking out Juan Uribe and getting Rod Barajas and Jamey Carroll out on flies to center.

Get ready, Jonathan Broxton is warming up in the bullpen to pitch the ninth.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw works against the Giants in the third inning Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Dodgers 1, Giants 0, end of seven

There was one more plane that tried to fly a banner over Dodger Stadium, but apparently since 9/11 there is an FAA rule that prohibits planes from flying over stadiums full of people. This last plane was around the first inning, but it was so far away, almost no one could see it.

Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw continued to be in impressive command through seven innings.

Kershaw retired the Giants in order in the top of the inning. Through seven, he had struck out nine, walked one and given four hits. He'd thrown 96 pitches, 65 for strikes.

The Giants' Tim Lincecum was right with him. He also retired the Dodgers in order in the bottom of the seventh. Through seven innings, he yielded one unearned run on five hits and had five strikeouts.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers 1, Giants 0, end of six

Through five innings, the temperature had begun to drop into reasonable spring territory and not the oddly, mid-summer heat that permeated the game's start.

Dodger Stadium might be graying, but with the sun setting on the San Gabriel Mountains, it still offers one of the most beautiful stadium settings in all of sports.

The Giants got their first leadoff hitter on of the night to start the sixth when Freddy Sanchez singled to left, but he was quickly erased when Abrey Huff bounced into a double play. Buster Posey singled, but Pat Burrell fouled out to James Loney to end San Francisco's half of the inning.

Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum had retired eight consecutive batters when he got into trouble with one out in the bottom of the sixth. And he wasn't exactly helped by any sterling Giants defense.

Lincecum walked Matt Kemp with one out before Loney hit what should have been a double-play ball to shortstop Miguel Tejada. But Tejada's throw went wide of second for an error, and both runners were safe.

Lincecum hit former Giant teammate Juan Uribe with his first pitch to load the bases. Catcher Buster Posey blocked a pitch in the dirt, picked it up and then inexplicably threw to third -- even though Kemp was already standing on the base.

The ball sailed down the left-field line and Kemp trotted home for the game's first run. Lincecum forced Rod Barajas to pop up, and after an intentional walk to Jamey Carroll, got Clayton Kershaw to bounce out to first.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers, Giants, still scoreless after five

Clayton Kershaw saw his first trouble of the night in the fifth.

After Miguel Tejada flied out to right, Kershaw walked his first batter of the game, rookie Brandon Belt. Pablo Sandoval then slapped at a ball almost at his ankles, looping it in shallow right just beyond the reach of an awkwardly retreating James Loney. Belt stopped at second.

Tim Lincecum's sacrifice bunt attempt was fielded by third baseman Juan Uribe, who fired to second ahead of the less-than-fleet Sandoval. Shortstop Rafael Furcal's relay almost doubled up Lincecum at first.

Kershaw, however, got Andres Torres on fielder's choice to end the Giants' first scoring threat.

The Dodgers went quietly in the bottom of the fifth, Lincecum retiring the Dodgers in order. Lincecum has four strikeouts through five innings.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers 0, Giants 0, end of four

The crowd is fairly subdued for a season opener. It appears the Dodgers sold their full allotment of 56,000 tickets. No-shows are not a real factor.

The press box is jammed, with several national writers taking in the first game of the defending champions. Nope, not here for the Dodgers. Ex-Dodger Orel Hershiser is in the ESPN booth.

Clayton Kershaw continued to have his way with the Giants in the fourth. An Aubrey Huff fly was chased down at the wall by Andre Ethier in right, before Kershaw struck out Buster Posey and Pat Burrell. That's eight strikeouts in four innings.

Juan Uribe opened the bottom of the fourth with a deep drive to dead center that was caught on the warning track by Andres Torres. Tim Lincecum then struck out Rod Barajas and got Jamey Carroll to ground out.

--  Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers 0, Giants 0, end of third

Clayton Kershaw looks in midseason form early.

Kershaw retired the Giants in order in the top of the third, striking out two. That's six strike outs in three innings. He's thrown 44 pitches, 13 for strikes.

Rafael Furcal leads off the bottom of the third with a bunt to the left of the mound that Tim Lincecum drops. But he recovers and throws a 90 mph strike to Brandon Belt to edge Furcal.

Tony Gwynn Jr. follows by slicing a single that left-fielder Pat Burrell bobbles for an error, allowing Gwynn to slide into second.

Lincecum, his hair exactly as long as last season, gets Andre Ethier to fly to Burrell before walking Matt Kemp, but gets James Loney to bounce out to short. In his first two at-bats, Loney has left four men on base.

Lincecum's pitch count after three innings: 41 pitches, 25 for strikes.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw prepares to deliver a pitch against the Giants in the season opener on Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times